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2006–07 Calgary Flames season
The 2006–07 Calgary Flames season began with a great deal of promise following the acquisition of top forward Alex Tanguay from the Colorado Avalanche. A pre-season favorite to win the National Hockey League's Northwest Division,Harrison, Doug, NHL Backgrounder - Calgary Flames, cbc.ca, September 29, 2006, accessed December 2, 2006.SI's 2006–07 NHL preview, sportsillustrated.com, accessed December 2, 2006. the Flames struggled out of the gate in October before a six game winning streak, and a franchise record ten consecutive home wins in November and DecemberCanucks end Flames' 10 game home winning streak, espn.com, December 26, 2006. brought the Flames back into contention in the tight Northwest Division. and Kris Draper taking a faceoff in game 4 of the Conference Quarter-final.]] The Flames were unable to live up to the pre-season hype, however, struggling to an eighth place finish in the Western Conference, having to stave off a furious challenge for the final playoff spot by Colorado. The Flames entered the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a first round match-up against the Detroit Red Wings, falling in six games to the Red Wings. The lackluster season and poor playoff performance led to widespread criticism of rookie head coach Jim Playfair.Dreger, Darren, http://www.tsn.ca/tsn_talent/columnists/darren_dreger/?ID=200816, tsn.ca, March 19, 2007, accessed April 28, 2007. TSN analyst Bob McKenzie even suggested replacing Playfair after game two of the Flames playoff series against Detroit.MacFarlane, Steve, Dump the coach: McKenzie, slam.ca, April 17, 2007, accessed April 28, 2007. Following the season, however, several players defended their coach.Spencer, Donna, Flames head coach Jim Playfair upbeat after disappointing season, cbc.ca, April 24, 2007, accessed April 28, 2007. Despite this, Playfair was relieved of his duties prior to the 2007–08 season. Two Flames were named to the roster for the 2007 All Star Game: goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff and defenceman Dion Phaneuf. It was the first appearance for both. Jarome Iginla would have been named to the team as well, but his knee injury kept him out of the game.Perreault, Selanne among all-stars, tsn.ca, January 13, 2007. On February 3, 2007, the Flames made history by having young Cree singer Akina Shirt perform "O Canada" in Woodlands Cree, the first time the national anthem had ever been performed in an Aboriginal language at a major league sporting event.Edmonton girl to sing anthem in NHL first at Saddledome On February 6, the Flames retired Mike Vernon's #30. Vernon, who was instrumental in the Flames trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1986 and their Cup victory in 1989 became the second Flame to have his number raised to the rafters, preceded only by Lanny McDonald.Flames set to retire Mike Vernon's No. 30, Calgary Flames Hockey Club, accessed January 31, 2007. The Flames entered the stretch drive by re-acquiring fan favorite, and former Flame, Craig Conroy in a deal with the Los Angeles Kings,Conroy begins second stint in Calgary following trade, Calgary Flames, accessed February 10, 2007. then by completing a significant trade with the Boston Bruins, acquiring defenceman Brad Stuart along with Wayne Primeau for Chuck Kobasew and Andrew Ference.Flames grab Stuart, Primeau from Bruins, tsn.ca, accessed February 10, 2007. On February 24, Jarome Iginla scored his 315th career goal, moving him past Joe Nieuwendyk into second on the Flames all-time goal scoring list. Theoren Fleury was the Flames all-time leading scorer at 364 goals.http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=197625&hubname=nhl, tsn.ca, February 25, 2007. Miikka Kiprusoff broke Dan Bouchard's franchise record for career shutouts as a Flame when he recorded his 21st in a 1–0 shootout victory against the Minnesota Wild on March 27.Board, Mike, Kiprusoff sets shutout record but goal is Stanley Cup, Calgary Flames press release, accessed March 30, 2007. Regular season Season standings Game log |- | colspan=10 | |- | colspan=10 | |- | colspan=10 | |- | colspan=10 | |- | colspan=10 | |- | colspan=10 | |} Playoffs The Flames qualified for the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Calgary entered the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the 8th seed in the Western Conference and started on the road against the top ranked Detroit Red Wings.Flames fall, but make playoff cutoff with Avalanche loss, espn.com, April 7, 2007. The Flames were unable to defend against the Wings' ferocious attack, with goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff facing an average of 42 shots per game during the series as Calgary fell to Detroit in six games.Detroit 2, Calgary 1, 2OT, yahoosports, April 23, 2007, accessed April 28, 2007. Game five, in Detroit, ended with a series of nasty incidents as the Flames' frustration got the better of them. Upset with Detroit's constant bumping of Miikka Kiprusoff throughout the series, and angry with what they believed was an illegal, low-bridge hit by Brett Lebda on Daymond Lankow late in the 5–1 loss, the Flames lashed out. First Langkow delivered a quick punch to the face of Lebda following that hit, and later backup goaltender Jamie McLennan delivered a two-handed slash to Wings forward Johan Franzen after only being in goal for eighteen seconds. McLennan received a match penalty for the slash, and was suspended five games by the NHL. Head coach Jim Playfair was fined $25,000, and the Flames organization $100,000.Duhatchek, Eric, Five-game suspension for McLennan, Globe and Mail, April 22, 2007, accessed April 28, 2007. Franzen would exact a measure of revenge for the hit in game six by scoring the winning goal in double overtime that eliminated the Flames. |} Player stats Skaters Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes †Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Calgary. Stats reflect time with the Flames only. ‡Traded mid-season Goaltenders Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average Awards and records Records *10 game home winning streak (November 7 – December 12); previous record was 9, set five times. *21 career shutouts as a Flame: Miikka Kiprusoff (March 27 at Minnesota). Milestones *300 assists: Jarome Iginla (December 5 vs Carolina).Recap: Carolina 0, Calgary 3, ESPN.com, December 5, 2006. *300 goals: Jarome Iginla (December 7 at Minnesota).Sportak, Randy, Iggy not quite done yet, Calgary Sun, December 9, 2006. *600 points: Jarome Iginla (December 7 at Minnesota). *100 wins: Miikka Kiprusoff (January 9 vs Minnesota).Macfarlane, Steve, Kipper's money in the bank, Calgary Sun, January 10, 2007. Transactions The Flames were involved in the following transactions during the 2006–07 season.NHL Insider - Offseason Trades, nhl.com, accessed December 2, 2006.NHL Insider - Free Agent Signings, nhl.com, accessed December 2, 2006, Trades Free agents | valign="top" | |} Draft picks Calgary's picks at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver, British Columbia.2006 NHL Entry Draft Results nhl.com - accessed November 20, 2006 The Flames picked 26th overall for the second consecutive draft. Farm teams Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights The 2006–07 AHL season was the second for the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. The Knights finished a top the Western Conference standings, winning the West Division with a 49–25–5–1 record, earning their first playoff appearance.2006–07 AHL standings, theahl.com, accessed May 24, 2007. Omaha was upset in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs by the Iowa Stars, however, losing four games to two. Following the season, rumours swirled around the future of the team, which ranked at or near the bottom of league attendance in its first two seasons, and lost us$4 million over two years.Sportak, Randy, Flames farm team could move, slam.ca, May 16, 2007, accessed May 24, 2007. The rumour would quickly be confirmed as the Flames announced that the team was leaving Nebraska for the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois to become the Quad City Flames for the 2007–08 season.FLAMES ANNOUNCE RELOCATION OF AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE FRANCHISE TO THE QUAD CITIES (MOLINE, IL), Calgary Flames press release, May 24, 2007. Las Vegas Wranglers The Las Vegas Wranglers finished the 2006–07 ECHL season as the league's top club with a 46–12–1–8 record. Their 106 points narrowly edged out the 105 point total of the Alaska Aces.2006–07 ECHL standings, hockeydb.com, accessed May 24, 2007. The Wranglers swept the Phoenix RoadRunners in their first round, but were upset by the Idaho Steelheads in the second, falling four games to two. See also *2006–07 NHL season References *'Player stats:' Calgary Flames player stats on espn.com *'Game log:' Calgary Flames game log on espn.com *'Team standings:' NHL standings on espn.com Category:Calgary Flames seasons Category:2006 in hockey Category:2007 in hockey